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Judge: Hamilton County jail deputies who tested positive for coronavirus work same shift in same area

The two Hamilton County sheriff's deputies who have tested positive for the coronavirus work the same shift in the same area of the county jail, an official told The Enquirer.

On Monday, the sheriff' s office announced that a second deputy who works at the Hamilton County Justice Center had tested positive. That deputy, who was not named, has been off since April 14, said Common Pleas Judge Charles Kubicki, the court's presiding and administrative judge.

The jail also has eight inmates in isolation, although officials emphasized that no inmates have tested positive.

Inmates are placed in isolation if they say they have been exposed to the virus or are showing symptoms of COVID-19.

[All of The Enquirer's coverage of the new coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Enquirer at cincinnati.com/subscribe.]

Last week, officials announced the jail's first positive test – a deputy who reported symptoms April 9. He has been quarantined at home since then, but the test results came back Thursday. The second deputy is also quarantined at home.

Since the first positive test was announced, there have been enhanced disinfection protocols at the jail. Also, all deputies at the Downtown facility now wear protective masks. All inmates are issued masks, but they can’t be required to wear them, said sheriff's office spokesman David Daugherty.

Everyone who is taken to the jail is screened and placed in quarantine for seven days, Daugherty said.

There were approximately 800 inmates in the facility on Thursday, which was down from more than 1,200 in mid-March. The facility can house about 840 inmates in individual cells.